IBRAHIM QUADRI
Following protest that greeted the threat to impeach the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, members of the State Assembly are currently holding an emergency meeting in the Assembly premises.
Rising from its plenary on Monday 28th January, the House had summoned Ambode to come and defend himself over an alleged gross misconduct or face impeachment.
As at the time of filing this report, 5:27p.m., the lawmakers were still deliberating.
It was not clear the agenda for the meeting but our correspondent gathered that it might not be unconnected to the move by the House to impeach the Governor.
Recall that the House had on Monday adjourned plenary to February 4.
The Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa told the lawmakers on Monday that it was important to give the Governor a fair hearing over the issue involving the Governor and the 2019 Budget.
Obasa stated that there have been violation of the constitution and infractions on the part of the Governor.
“The Attorney General, Finance Commissioner and Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning that ought to have advised the Governor did not do so.
“The most important thing is that we should let the people know that a budget that was yet to be approved was being spent, which was why we could not attend to the Governor on the budget on Monday 21, January. We must give them a fair hearing to come and explain what happened.
“The point has been made that there must be something before the House before you can commence expenditure. We want to call on the Governor to come within a week to explain himself.
“We can start gathering signatures for impeachment. We can exercise patience and wait till another time,” he said.
In an appaent reaction to the Assembly’s threat, a Civil Society Organisation, Legislative Probity and Accountability gave the Lagos Assembly a five days deadline to respond to its demands.
The group is demanding that the lawmakers account for the N28.8 billion running cost which they allegedly collected under the leadership of the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa
The Group alleged that the money was to serve as running cost which they allegedly collected under the leadership of Obasa.
The LPA threw the challenge in a statement sent to Legit.ng and signed by its chairman, Olu Fajana in Abuja.
According to LPA, “While we will refrain from dabbling into the politics of this misadventure, we demand that the Lagos Assembly lawmakers must come to equity with clean hands.
“It is not our duty to ask the lawmakers not to probe Ambode if he has committed any infraction, we dare say that the Mudashiru Obasa has been collecting N9.6 billion each year and has so far pocketed N28.8billion as running cost out of which the entire members have been paid only N2.4 billion in three years,” it stated.
